Everyone struggles with writing at first. You can overcome this struggle and write really well. Writing is actually not complicated but it pays to be smart in your approach.
Note that essays are not required in Art Histories but if you find that approach easier you're welcome to write that way. We simply call what we do 'Writing'.
How to Start
The best way to start is to reflect on what the purpose or focus of your reading will be? What information are you looking for? It pays to look at the assessment criteria for example. The next most important thing is to READ,and follow this process: PRINT OUT what you're reading and use highlighters to select particular aspects of the text. Then, take notes in your own words from the highlighted sections.
It's true, you can work digitally in a similar manner to the advice above, but it lacks the tactile nature of using your hands in conjunction with your eyes. That very simple step adds weight to what and how you remember detail from the reading and from your thinking. Your brain actually works better!
And remember, Don't try to get it right, Just get it written. You can and should edit later, not at the start. This way the very first bit of writing you do will be from your own thoughts and you'll avoid the plagarism trap!
And remember, Don't try to get it right, Just get it written. You can and should edit later, not at the start. This way the very first bit of writing you do will be from your own thoughts and you'll avoid the plagarism trap!
There are several different STRUCTURES that apply to writing.
You may have heard of SEAR, or SEXY, or TEXAS or similar acronyms. All these acronyms are basically the same – they usually refer to a paragraph structure but you could apply the same ideas to a sentence or a whole page structure. The TEXAS example stands for: Topic, Explain, Example, Analysis, Summary. But if you look elsewhere it stands instead for: Topic, ContExt, TeXtual eXample, Analysis, So what? Each of these headings are prompts referring to a structure and aim to help provide you with guidance.
For a PARAGRAPH the way these structures apply is that the first sentence outlines the idea(s) that will be addressed in the paragraph. The sentences that follow expand on the idea(s), provide background, then break down the key aspects of the idea(s) in order to provide more detailed understanding, and finally sum up while laying the seeds for the idea(s) that will follow in the next paragraph.
The first sentence in any paragraph should contain one clear idea (or two at most). The sentence that follows should take the first part of that idea and address it directly and systematically (in order). Every sentence that follows should address a specific aspect from a previous sentence(s) and expand on the idea(s), provide context, and break the idea down into its parts. You should be able to link the key aspects of each sentence directly to the previous sentence. Think of it as a wall of text that requires those links for stability, it will fall over if you don't make the links.
The questions listed below provide another option for structuring your ideas by asking three simple questions to help you focus. This three-step structure relates more to your writing as a whole (as opposed to sentence by sentence, it's the big picture) but again, it can also relate to an individual paragraph. It explains what you're looking for when you're reading.
Once you have enough notes you can start putting them together into a body of writing. As long as you FOLLOW A STRUCTURE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH you'll be fine.
Another structure you've probably not heard of is the 3?Q method;
1. The three-question structure to writing
For a PARAGRAPH the way these structures apply is that the first sentence outlines the idea(s) that will be addressed in the paragraph. The sentences that follow expand on the idea(s), provide background, then break down the key aspects of the idea(s) in order to provide more detailed understanding, and finally sum up while laying the seeds for the idea(s) that will follow in the next paragraph.
The first sentence in any paragraph should contain one clear idea (or two at most). The sentence that follows should take the first part of that idea and address it directly and systematically (in order). Every sentence that follows should address a specific aspect from a previous sentence(s) and expand on the idea(s), provide context, and break the idea down into its parts. You should be able to link the key aspects of each sentence directly to the previous sentence. Think of it as a wall of text that requires those links for stability, it will fall over if you don't make the links.
The questions listed below provide another option for structuring your ideas by asking three simple questions to help you focus. This three-step structure relates more to your writing as a whole (as opposed to sentence by sentence, it's the big picture) but again, it can also relate to an individual paragraph. It explains what you're looking for when you're reading.
Once you have enough notes you can start putting them together into a body of writing. As long as you FOLLOW A STRUCTURE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH you'll be fine.
Another structure you've probably not heard of is the 3?Q method;
1. The three-question structure to writing
1. The first step is to CONSIDER THREE QUESTIONSWhat is it? / What might it mean? / Why does it matter?These questions can relate to each section of your writing as well as to the whole.2. The second step is to SUBSTANTIATE YOUR IDEAS3. The final step is to EDIT – you can begin editing by referring to Commonly overused or misused terms – Check out this link to the Writer's Diet – copy/paste your text into their test engine to see what words you might be over-using. The section that mattesr most is the WASTE WORDS (Pink). If you have too many of any other types of words, see Mr Soltero to help with your sentence structure and transitions. The most likely scenario is that you have too many Waste Words – you need to be more specific. Each time you see a waste word like "it" replace that word with what "it" is meant to refer to. You may discover the word is no longer necessary. For any other problems see Mr Soltero. Generally, choosing more specific and accurate words, descriptors, adjectives or phrases to improve and expand your dialogue is the best approach!
Good writers show where their response came from, they convince readers that their ideas are valid. This is called communicative art writing.
- What is it? What does it look like? How was it made?
- Keep your descriptions brief and specific. Look closely for meaningful detail in materials, size, selection or decision making the artist engaged in. Be selective; avoid overindulging in tiny details, or producing list-like descriptions but be sure to include the obvious; title, size, media, etc!
- What might this mean? How does the artwork carry meaning?
- The term "might" gives the writer a lot of leeway – keep that in mind!
- Join the dots for your reader; based on your reading and your in-depth looking at the artwork, explain where meaningful ideas can be observed in the artwork.
- A classic mistake is claiming great meaning for an artwork without tracing where that might originate in the work. Some tell-tale signs of this mistake are the use of words like "huge", "massive", "extremely" – the writer thinks these words do the work of explaning what is significant. Avoid using those words and you'll be half way there!
- Why does it matter to the world at large? What does this artwork contribute to the art world, to artists or the general public?
- Answering this question requires a little original thought but it doesn't have to be earth-shattering. Keep it reasonable and make sure your idea can be traced back to what the artwork means and how it was made. You can read what others have said to help form your own opinion. Remember, it’s ok if the achievements of the artwork are modest. Not everything has to be the greatest, best or most influential, but your writing does need to be solid.
2. Substantiating your Ideas - The 2nd part of the job
This part can be a little tricky so it pays to keep it simple. How do you get the balance right between visual description, factual research and personal input? There is a slide presentation that covers this step in greater detail – the teacher will share with you as it becomes necessary later in term one or towards term two.In the meantime use the following advice:When you explain where your ideas come from your reader feels as if they’ve learned something from you. Substantiation is what makes the writing believable and allows the reader to see the work you’re discussing in a fresh light.There are two steps in order to substantiate your ideas:1. Providing factual or historical evidence from your research:
- based on research, reading articles, looking at original work where possible
- paying close attentinon, tracing the logic of your thoughts from observations of the artwork to the words that describe and explain them
- avoid what we call "waffle":
- "...aside from important and well known artists..."
- – who are they and what is important about them?
- "...Artists outside of NY were not as famous..."
- – who are the artists being referred to? famous compared to whom? why were they not as famous? How is this important or useful to the point?
- Rambling waffle is writing that is often off the top of the writer's head. The solution is to read, look, collect more information – and think!
2. Providing visual evidence – by extracting information from the artwork itself.
- This step is often the most direct way for students to improve – simply pay attention to visual detail in the artwork you're reading about. We call this Visual evidence.
- Describe visual evidence in detail, link it to research you've done and can speak about, use it to support comparitive explanations of similarities and differences, extend or bridge this detail by allowing yourself to imagine – not waffle, but imagine what it might mean, and remember to substantiate any new ideas that are introduced by linking them to something you've read or specifically seen in the artwork.
3. Helpful Terms to Expand Dialogue
Often the first step to improving your explanations is to use adjectives. This site contains lots of examples of useful adjectives.Common mistakes in writing include the use of vague terms.Being more specific and concise is preferable to waffling on without really explaining or arguing your point.The more vague we are, the less opportunity we create for in-depth discussion.In phrases such as 'this is shown through...' or 'there was a huge influence...' a lot of information is being skipped over and detail is being avoided.In good writing, one sentence naturally follows the logic set out in earlier sentences. But the in sentences that follow vague statements the writer is almost forced to make flat, closed statements that shut down the potential for further discussion rather than opening up the dialogue to more in-depth explanation.Instead we could ask – what is "this", is the writer referring to the idea or some other detail? Is there more than one idea? What is important about the idea or the influence? Where does the idea come from or what might its other relationships be?The more specific the better, drill down into the detail.Good words and terms to EXPLAIN can be found here and here is a useful slideLinking words can help combine ideas – This link lists loads of options to help you.Instead of 'SHOW':demonstrate illustrate manifest utilise exemplify denote presentcommunicate display signify express exhibit symbolise re-presentInstead of 'LINK':connection relationship association nexus linkageInstead of 'HUGE':significant great notable remarkable outstanding striking exceptionalpronounced considerable telling extraordinaryInstead of 'THIS' or 'IT':If you begin a sentence with "This" you are almost guarenteed to need to improve it.Using terms like "this" or "it" is often a short-hand for an idea or phrase that could be much more specific, detailed and concise. Rather than being able to replace "this" or "it" with a word from a multiple choice list like the other words above, you need to think about what you're referring to and try to be more specific.Consider the following example – vague sections are underlined: "Weiwei has taken traditional objecs and developed them so they have the ability to function in contemporary contexts. Through this, Ai is bringing in significant issues being considered in today’s Chinese culture, reminding us of the fraught relationship of a modernized China to its cultural heritage."The writer would benefit from explaining in sentences that follow HOW Ai Weiwei has developed traditional objects. But the phrase "through this" avoids the opporutinity to give the reader more detail. What the writer probably means to say is "The change in function..." Next, the writer uses the phrase "bringing in". What the writer probably means to say is: "The change in function allows the objects to generate discussion around China's fraught relationship between its rapidly modernisation, its cultural heritage and its citizens who are caught in the middle."The teacher will share a small section from a book called the Writer's Diet that will help you with these terms above.
Analysing an Artwork - refer to this section only when the teacher instructs you to.
Analysis often begins with explanation, comparison and contrast. Analysis is about unpacking, breaking something down into it's component parts and looking, or reading, or thinking about each of those parts, seperately for what they contribute to the whole. While the L3 Assessment is focused on analysis of texts and the L2 assessment is focused on the topic of authenticity – they are equally, if not more so, focused on ART and therefore a visual analysis of relevant artwork(s) can be appropriate for a visual text.
Below is a university student's visual analysis which demonstrates what can be noted simply from looking and thinking deeply about an image without reading any texts at all. It's more than you will need to write but it's a good example of quality writing.
The link to the writing and a copy of the artwork is here.
In order to begin a visual analysis think about the specific features of the artwork. Stating the obvious is a good way to start. Try to identify any logical or causal connections between these features. You could describe and then explain how what you feel when you look at this artwork impacts on the viewer?
Regardless of the structure you use pay attention to paragraph construction.
Each paragraph should develop one central idea.
A thorough analysis of an artwork (in this case a photograph) can be seen in this example where the entire six paragraphs is based on what can be seen by simply looking at the photograph, describing in detail and then explaining the description.
The writer does not need to know anything more about the picture to have written this but can learn more about the artist's ideas and other ways of interpreting the picture from further research (ie Texts).
For each paragraph
list all the specific aspects of the work and any ideas that have been drawn by the writer from considering these elements.
The first one has been done for you below:
Paragraph 1 -
"expressive body language and posture of the young woman"
"clearly divided space of the composition"
"narrative elements ... fleeting figure in the background ... iron bars in the middle ground"
"these elements combine to create a powerful image of anguish and emotional withdrawal that
is immediately familiar to anyone who has suffered the pain of separation"
is immediately familiar to anyone who has suffered the pain of separation"
Citation: Visual Analysis of Sandra Raynor’s “Unspoken”, July 25, 2013, By Jessica Porter and edited by Lisa ScheerTrinity College Stage 2 Media; 2A/B Media Production & Analysis, accessed 31/1/14, http://trinitycollegestage2media.wordpress.com/2013/07/
Sandy Raynor, Unspoken, 8 x10 inches, black and white photograph
P1. The black and white photograph “Unspoken” by Sandra Raynor tells the story of a young woman in isolation from the world around her. But the artist leaves it up to the viewer to decide the nature of her internment. We must wonder if her imprisonment is literal or emotional. Is it self-imposed, a result of alienation or withdrawal into grief or has she been rejected and segregated, placed there due to the actions and attitudes of others? The artist gives us many cues throughout the work including but not limited to the expressive body language and posture of the young woman, the clearly divided space of the composition, narrative elements such as the fleeting figure in the background or the iron bars in the middle ground, and the title itself. All these elements combine to create a powerful image of anguish and emotional withdrawal that is immediately familiar to anyone who has suffered the pain of separation.
P2. The mood of introverted distress is primarily communicated through the young woman’s facial expression and her body language. This main character fills the majority of the eight by ten inch photograph. Her body position creates a fortress that separates her from her surroundings. Her knees are pulled tight against her chest and her elbows are drawn inward. She huddles in a corner with her face turn downward almost hidden by her thick cascading hair. Her downcast eyes appear closed as if focusing on something deep inside rather than on external circumstances. She grasps her head with her hands in a way that suggests her pain is almost physical.
P3. This feeling of emotional withdrawal is enhanced by the passive, non-interactive relationship between the various elements of the scene. The young woman does not acknowledge the photographer or viewer’s presence in any way even though we are seeing her from close range. It is as if we are observing her with a binoculars from a far off place, invading a private moment both uninvited and unacknowledged. The only other character in the photograph, a blurred male figure in the background, also fails to connect with the young woman or with us.
P4. This impenetrable divide between people is maximized by the separation of the picture into two spaces, a foreground and a background. Compositionally the bars function as a divider between these two distinct and distant spaces. Beyond the bars the background is blurred making visible the idea of an insurmountable distance between the girl and her surrounding world. The ghostly background figure haunts her but fails to materialize and end her isolation. Both division and obscurity suggest that these two characters might have once shared a relationship (if not a space) but now, something tragically keeps them apart, unable to breach the emotional or physical distance separating them.
P5. The narrative implications of the iron bars that divide the image are unmistakable. They clearly reference imprisonment and isolation but is unclear as to whether the containment is self-imposed as a way of keeping others out, or externally imposed as a form of captivity. On one hand the conditions of her captivity do not read as forced; her expression is one of internal turmoil not directed outwardly to an external threat. And because there is nothing in the photograph that refers to actual prison conditions one tends to interpret the bars as a metaphor for some sort of internal emotion state of thralldom rather than a literal condition. But what she is captive to is unclear. She might be a prisoner of her own alienation and pain or possibly a prisoner to her need and desire for the other that is beyond her reach.
P6. The title Unspoken also effects the way we interpret this story. If we assume that the young woman’s anguish is somehow related to the ghostly male figure in the background then the narrative is about a dissolved relationship. After all, with minimal elements in the photograph to begin with, the male figure with his back turned to the scene and walking away from the young woman, no matter how ghostly, holds our attention. Might Unspoken indicate a failure to communicate, an absence of emotional exchange and connection? Sandra Raynor does not give us concrete answers to these questions but instead keeps active all these possible interpretations allowing the viewer to find their own empathetic response her visual story.
Reading and Writing for Visual Arts
- adapted from Otago Polytechnic; Dunedin School of Art
Taking control of your READING
Be CLEAR why you are reading; This will allow you to use different reading strategies,such as skimming to get a general understanding of a text, scanning to find specific details, deep reading to get a thorough understanding of a text.
Use the right strategy and save time.
Give yourself enough TIME to do your reading; Doing a little bit often rather than doing a lot in one go is more efficient.
Be an ACTIVE reader; predict what is in the text. Mark the text as you read. These may simply be key words, or exclamation marks. Take notes as you read. Put things in your own words.
Writing PARAGRAPHS
There are many acronyms that can help you remember good paragraph structure such as TEXAS: Topic, Expand, eXample, Analyse, Summarise.
Each paragraph should have a clear, singular FOCUS to it. The overriding error students make in writing is shifting topics within the same paragraph. Develop the idea you begin with. A paragraph is a discrete unit of thought that expands one specific idea, not three or four. If you find yourself shifting gears, begin a new paragraph instead.
Each paragraph should have a clear, singular FOCUS to it. The overriding error students make in writing is shifting topics within the same paragraph. Develop the idea you begin with. A paragraph is a discrete unit of thought that expands one specific idea, not three or four. If you find yourself shifting gears, begin a new paragraph instead.
Keep a tighter focus on your paragraphs with TOPIC sentences – the first sentence of the paragraph, it describes the purpose of the paragraph. Your reader will invariably find it easier to follow your thoughts and argument. As an example, look at the first sentences of each paragraph on this page. The entire paragraph is focused on the stated topic sentence.
Develop the IDEA; Invariably students shift ideas and lose focus within their paragraphs because they do not know how to adequately develop their ideas. Knowing how to expand your idea will help. Refer to item 2 above (Substantiating your ideas).
Implement these TECHNIQUES: Illustrate your idea with examples, back your ideas with more evidence, brainstorm more insights about the idea, elaborate on causes/effects, definitions, comparison/contrasts - for excellence level; offer another perspective to the idea, anticipate and respond to counter-arguments.
Writing Anxiety
There are three major anxieties; knowing and understanding something about a subject which you feel you know very little about, having something to say about it, putting your knowledge and ideas down in words.
Relax. Everyone has these anxieties. What’s the best way of tackling an anxiety? Brooding over it? Going into a funk? Trying not to think about it? Going and doing something else? Delaying tactics are guaranteed to make increase your anxiety. The best way of confronting an anxiety is to tackle it head on.
TACKLING the job; Your writing will be about something. Make sure you understand what the teacher has in mind. Ask, if you are unsure. Ask again and do not start writing until you know what it is you are going to write about. Think it through, ask for clarification. Would you normally set off somewhere without knowing where you were going and how you were going to get there?
PREPARATION; When you understand the topic and have a title you can start your research. Follow up any leads from your reading that add to your understanding. Clarify ideas which you feel unsure about. Don’t pass over them hoping that understanding will come with time or that such difficulties will go away. A lack of comprehension is only more likely to bring on another anxious attack of ‘essayitis’!
Making a Plan
When the subject seems CLEAR you are ready to write a PLAN.
Your plan will have three main sections: introduction, body of the argument, conclusion. Think; What, Why, How.
Your INTRODUCTION simply states what you are going to do, your understanding of the topic and how you are going to tackle it. One brief, concise paragraph.
The BODY of your argument (‘argument’ does not mean ‘dispute’, or ‘row’, but the logical steps of your discussion of the subject) should consist of linked points, one following on from the other in sequence. It may be that you will start from a general idea that you will refine to particular examples, or the other way round, building up a series of case studies, before drawing them together into a set of ideas. There is no one way to ‘answer’ a research question. The material you research provides its own logical clarification.
In your plan you should note the steps of your argument, be clear that they follow one from another, that you are not in danger of repetition, that you are not simply filling space.
When you have drawn your argument together think about a CONCLUSION – a couple of sentences to say what you’ve done and explain your new understanding the topic.
Structure of a Paragraph
Remember; Ideas and sentences must be linked
4 key elements;
it’s a unit of a larger piece
it addresses a key idea
key idea is introduced early in the paragraph
all subsequent sentences support this idea through illustration, explanation, or data/facts
Moving from Plan to Writing
Write TO your plan. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Avoid clichés, jargon, slang, loose words and phrases, like ‘and stuff’, that show lazy thinking. Try out a few words with which you might have been unfamiliar previously: expand you vocabulary and range of expression. Take the time to be proud of your effort.
Artworks
You are writing about art, theories about art, histories of art. Your essay should refer to artworks, and refer to them in some detail (lists of works without specific discussion is a waste!). Set yourself the target of discussing no less than three works in any one essay.
Glossary
For Art Movements and other definitions you can also refer to the app: Tate's Guide to Modern Art Terms. MoMA also has a great section devoted to Art Terms.
APPROPRIATION: Where an artist uses objects or images taken from another artist, culture or context.
BLENDING: Smoothing edges of colours together so that they have a smooth gradation where they meet.
CANVAS: Closely woven cotton cloth used as a support for paintings.
CHIAROSCURO:Italian for light/dark. Shading forms with strong contrasts.
COLLAGE: Using materials other than the traditional paint, such as cut paper, wood, sand, and so on.
COLOUR: May be natural, high key, monochrome, cold, warm, psychedelic, etc.
COMPOSITION: The arrangement of elements in the painting or drawing. These may include balance/imbalance, repetition/singularity, movement/static, vertical/horizontal, simple/complex, symmetry/asymmetry, contrast/similarity, and/or harmony/discord.
CROSSHATCHING: Parallel lines that crisscross each other at angles, to model and indicate tone.
ENCAUSTIC: A medium that uses hot wax to bind the pigment.
EXPRESSIVE: Strong colours and/or vigorous application of media.
EYE LEVEL / HORIZON: Line running through a composition that represents the artist’s viewpoint.
FOREGROUND: The front of the picture plane (usually at the bottom of the picture).
FOCAL POINT: The main part of the picture that draws the viewer’s attention.
FORM: An object which has, or appears to have, three dimensional volume and solidity.
FORMAL PROPERTIES: A description of, textures, colours, composition, size and style.
FROTTAGE: Textural rubbings.
GESSO: A white ground material (chalk, white pigment, and glue) for preparing rigid supports for painting.
GLAZE: Thin transparent layer of coloured paint used to tint the object/colours underneath.
GROUND: The surface a work is made on, such as paper, canvas, board, hessian.
HATCHING: Close series of parallel lines that indicate tone and form.
HIERARCHY: Some parts of the picture being more dominant and/or important than others.
IMPASTO: A style of painting characterised by thick, juicy colour application.
JUXTAPOSED: Placed side by side or alongside each other ? often to create contrast.
LIGHT SOURCE: The direction from which the light is coming (may be single or multiple light sources).
LINE: Long/short, hard/soft, jagged/smooth, continuous/broken, straight/curved etc.
LOCAL COLOUR: The actual colour of an object or surface such as green for grass (not purple).
MEDIUM: The liquid in which pigments are suspended.
MIXED MEDIA: In drawing and painting this refers to the use of different media in the same picture.
MOSAIC: Small units of variously coloured materials (glass, tile, stone) set in a mortar.
MONOCHROME / MONOCHROMATIC: One colour only, or in black and white.
NEGATIVE SPACE: The area in a picture that is not the subject or the space around/behind objects.
PATTERN: An arrangement of sequence of shapes.
PERSPECTIVE: One point, or linear, perspective is based around receding parallel lines that appear to meet at a vanishing point on the horizon or eye level. Atmospheric perspective blurs lines that are further away.
PICTORIAL DEPTH: How deep or shallow the picture looks ? window to infinity.
PLEIN AIR: French for “open air” meaning paintings done outside directly from the subject.
PRIMARY COLOURS: Red, yellow and blue (primary colours can’t be mixed from other colours).
PRIMER: Coating material, usually white, applied to a support to prepare it for painting.
PROPORTION: The dimensions, or scale, of the various parts of an image or object, in relation to each other and to the object as a whole. The golden ratio 1:1.618 is considered an elegant proportion.
SCALE: Relative size, for instance one drawing or part of a drawing in relation to another.
SCUMBLING: Applying a thin, semi-opaque coating of paint over a previously painted surface to alter the colour or appearance of the surface without totally obscuring it.
SFUMATO: Italian for “shaded off”. Gradual, almost imperceptible transitions of colour from light to dark.
SGRAFFITO: Technique in which the surface layer is incised or cut away to reveal a contrasting colour.
SHAPE: A two-dimensional surface with a defined area but no volume ? geometric/organic, complex/simple.
SHELLAC: A yellow resin formed from secretions of the LAC insect, used in making varnish.
SURFACE: The appearance of top layer which may be rough, smooth, slippery, furry, soft etc.
SYMBOL / SYMBOLIC: Something that stands for or represents something else.
TONAL MODELLING: Graduated light to dark tones to make a two-dimensional shape three dimensional.
TONE: Lightness or darkness of any part of an object or composition.
TRANSPARENT: Can be seen through.
TROMPE L’OEIL: French for “deceive the eye”. Looks like a real object.
UNDERPAINTING: The traditional oil painting of using a monochrome as a base for composition.
VANISHING POINT: The fixed point on the horizon where the perspective lines meet.
VARNISH: Transparent material that protects the paint (can make it shiny as well).
VOLUME: The space that an object or figure fills in a drawing or painting.
WASH: A thin, usually broadly applied, layer of transparent or heavily diluted paint or ink.
WATERCOLOUR: Water soluble paint which can be transparent or opaque.
